CSULB to Host Chinese Film and Culture Festival Oct. 14-21

Published: October 15, 2010

CSULB is hosting the 2010 Chinese Film and Culture Festival on Oct. 14-21. This free, weeklong event will include screenings of recent Chinese films and a cultural heritage and craft exhibit that features fabric and paper cutting art, leaf vein painting, calligraphy and more. The festival will also serve as the kickoff of the Chinese and American College Student Animation Competition.

The opening ceremony, to be held on Thursday, Oct. 14, 10-11 a.m. in the William Link Theatre (formerly the University Theater), will include remarks from CSULB President F. King Alexander, Chinese Vice Minister of Culture Wenzhang Wang, Chinese Consul General Yun Zhang, California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado and CSULB Provost Donald Para. Wang is scheduled to announce the beginning of the Chinese and American College Student Animation Competition, which is open to current animation and art design majors and will conclude with an awards ceremony in July 2011. He will also present the university with a gift of Chinese books and films.

Ten films exploring how Chinese media producers envision their society for domestic and international audiences will screen in the Beach Auditorium-University Student Union, room 115, during the festival. A panel discussion with film producers, directors and actors follows each film, and there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.

Friday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m.“The Everlasting Flame: Beijing 2008”
Documentary about the passions, struggles and lives of four Chinese and eight worldwide athletes as they prepare for what has been known as the “Perfect Games.” Panelist: Gu Yun, director.

Monday, Oct. 18, 2 p.m.“Invisible Wings”
Tragedy strikes the vast Mongolian grassland when 15-year-old girl Zhihua is hit by lightning while flying a kite with her classmates. She survives the gruesome ordeal but loses both her arms. As the sole caretaker of her schizophrenic mother, Zhihua fights to regain her chance at an education by learning to use her feet for writing, using the computer, cooking–anything that people could do with their hands. Zhihua achieves her goal and qualifies for the Olympic Games for the Disabled, eventually attending the Provincial University of Physical Education. Panelist: Li Jianping, associate dean, School of Film and Animation Academy.

Monday, Oct. 18, 6 p.m.“Seeking for Liu Sanjie”
Wei Wende is a Chinese-American who graduated from a prestigious music conservatory in America. Although he was born and raised in America, he wants to add a Chinese element into his graduate work music to make it more substantial. He decides to gain inspiration by going back to his paternal hometown, Guangxi, a place known as the birthplace of many beloved folk songs. Wende’s parents, who are Guangxinese, hope that their son will marry a girl who can sing folk songs from Guangxi, and they see his return as the perfect time to play matchmaker.

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m.“The Knot”
The film depicts an unfailing love story of two teenagers, Qiu Shui and Biyun, who meet in Taiwan during the turbulent 1940s.

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m.“Freeway”
The film depicts how Shenzhen people’s lives changed from the start of the reform period until now. The differences in their backgrounds also reflect the changes and enormous achievements among the different stratum of Shenzhen society over the years. As a participant and witness to the different historical periods, Debao (the main character) begins as a rural migrant worker, experiences hardships and gradually moves toward the ultimate happiness of life.

Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2 p.m.“Call for Love: Fit Lover”
Fit Lover is the sequel to the 2006 film “Call for Love.” Instead of a cast with one man and 12 girls, the sequel is reversed and begins with one girl and 12 men. The story is about an intellectual female who gets involved in various messy relationships with different “metrosexuals.” After a series of affairs and a desperate search for companionship and compatibility, she finally comprehends what true love actually is.

Wednesday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m.“Crazy Racer”
The professional cyclist Geng Hao missed his championship race by 0.01 second and was banned for life after that. In order to make a living, he delivers seafood with a refrigerator van. However, he cannot hide from his destiny forever. After five peaceful years of being a seafood delivery guy, an incident occurs and catapults his involvement into a series of complicated cases that involve mobsters, profiteers from Taiwan and some local gangsters. Even the drug lords are haunting him. Things get even stranger when his master, who had been dead, sends money to him.

Thursday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m.“The Heroic Age of Women”
With the background of the Hao River in Nantong and drawbridge in Ximen, the film depicts civilians’ lives during the Japanese invasion in China. Their perseverance and desire for a peaceful society reflect the epitome of 1940s Nantong life. During that time, women who were married to coppersmiths worked on the boats and lived on the sides of the Hao River. They fought against the Japanese invaders under the leadership of the CPC and the new No. 4 troop during World War II.

Thursday, Oct. 21, 6 p.m.“The Message”
During the spring of 1940, Wang Jingwei, former vice president of the Nationalist Party of China, made peace with the Japanese government and set up the new “National Government” in Nanjing. This movie tells the painful story of how the Communist Party members fought for national liberty under the cruel tortures and psychological torment by Japanese and Wang’s national government. Nominated for six Taiwan Golden Horse Awards: Best Actress (for two stars), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Best Visual Effects.

A special event screening of “New Kangding Love Song,” will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. in the William Link Theatre. The film focuses on the love between Li Sujie and Da Wa, who is a Tibetan serf. It reflects the social change that came about since the Ganzi prefecture was established. This 60-year love story shows the resilience of true love even between a Tibetan and a Han. A panel discussion with director Jiang Ping and China Film Group’s vice president follows the screening.

From Oct. 14-18, a cultural heritage and craft exhibit will be held in the University Student Union Ballroom. Artists demonstrating traditional Chinese handicrafts and detailed models of Hakka Tulou (earth buildings) from the Yongding, Fujian Province, will be on display. Opening hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16.

The goal of the festival — presented in collaboration with CSULB’s College of Continuing and Professional Education, the Ministry of the People’s Republic of China; Beauty Media, Inc., a Chinese private media company; and ICN TV Network, a U.S.-based Asian television company — is to improve communication and understanding between China and the U.S. through cultural and artistic exchange. The event is open to the public.